Inland 30 Carbine Newly Made

T

ThomasT

New member
I just got my new NRA magazine and there was an article on the Inland 30 carbine that is being made again to the original specs. This is the first I have heard of this. Has anyone bought one yet? I want one in the worst way. I don't need another rifle but this looks like something I may not be able to live without.:eek: They are also making a couple of 1911s. I may have to sell something to pick one of these up.

How expensive and hard to find is 30 carbine ammo? In the header click on Products. They are also making a trench shotgun.

https://www.inland-mfg.com/Inland-Carbines/M1-1945.html
 
It is not being made to original specs & not being made by the original Inland, has no connection at all to the original Inland operation.

.30 Carbine ammunition is not hard to find.
Denis
 
Hello DPris. I was just repeating what the magazine article said. They reported that all the parts will swap out with the original guns. And they gave a history on inland and the new company with the same name.

I don't know much about these guns. I am more of a bolt/lever fan myself. But his looks really good to me. I have been searching the net for 30 carbine ammo. If I get one of these rifles I will buy a 1000 rounds of plinking ammo and 250 rounds of soft point loads.

I have a Marlin 32 magnum I have only shot about 100 rounds through and it should bring enough to buy one of these rifles and all the ammo for it.
 
It is not being made to original specs & not being made by the original Inland, has no connection at all to the original Inland operation.
Click to expand...

+1

Get an original GI carbine for the same cost or less. The new Inlands are having a bunch of problems, and they are NOT GI spec.
 
Rat,
I hefted one & discussed it with Norton at the SHOT Show in January.

Cast receivers & bolts, which are certainly not original mil-spec. :)
Parts may or may not be interchangeable with GI guns & parts.

I'm not commenting on quality beyond that, just correcting your statements.
Too often somebody will resurrect a classic name & people confuse it with the original manufacturing concern.

What I saw looked OK, but I have not fired one.
If you're interested in pursuing, by all means go for it.
Just know what it is & what it isn't.
Denis
 
I have never read or heard of any problems mentioned on the forums. And maybe they are not to specs but the parts will interchange. And the new guns were reported to be tighter made and able to shoot 1 to 2" groups at 100 yards.

The best thing you can do is read the report like I did. And yes you should be able to buy a 70+ year old gun with miss matched parts and possibly a very worn barrel for a little less. But I sorta like new sometimes.;)
 
Again- not commenting on quality, just correcting your initial post.

Buy or don't, makes no difference to me. :)
Denis
 
They are basically Auto Ordinance guns sold by a different but closely related firm.

I would anticipate quality problems and personally would not buy one.
 
The facts are...

The cast bolts had some problems in the initial run. The bolts had heat treatment problems. I called Inland and conferred directly with Ron Norton, President of Inland Manufacturing.

Ron said that the problem was with a batch of bolts that weren't hard enough, and the locking points on the bolt were shearing off. Ron then informed me that the problem had been rectified. The cast bolts are now properly hardened. Ron demonstrated this by taking two "mule" Inland M1 Carbines that had been used as "demonstrators" to the 2016 SHOT show. (Each "mule" had fired 10,000 rounds prior to this "demonstration").

Ron took each carbine apart, stripped away every bit of lubrication, and proceeded to fire as much American Eagle ammunition he brought to the show. At between 5750 and 6000 rounds of unlubricated firing, the cast parts began to fail. Ron said that he wanted to put the "bad bolt" problem to rest publicly, so that Inland's reputation would remain intact.

Incidentally, Ron told me that his cast receivers had the proper flexibility to shoot 1"-2" groups at 100 yards. IMHO, that's really all one needs with the M1 Carbine. I'd like to be able to hunt deer and varmint with the light rifle just like everyone else.

Ron went on to say that he will repair/replace any problem on any of the early rifles without qualm or question.

Note: I have not been paid by Ron Norton, nor do I have any vested interest in Inland Manufacturing.

I hope this helps to answer the question(s).

Take heart, the .30 Carbine is back!
 
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They are basically Auto Ordinance guns sold by a different but closely related firm.
I would anticipate quality problems and personally would not buy one.
Click to expand...

That's an understatement ... Early variants in the Auto Ordinance line of firearms products had many known and documented problems.

So if Inland = AO, then the buyer should go in to the deal with eyes WIDE OPEN. :eek:

Just sayin' ... :cool:
 
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The fact that "Inland" didn't correctly harden the bolts raises questions in my mind about the entire production ethos of this clone product.
The M1 carbine has been around a long time, and it's requirements are well known. It has been made by the Government and by commercial interests. No reason for this bolt hardness problem, and the fact that they just spewed out these cast creations without adequate testing is troubling.
I'll stick with my USGI GM Inland.
Earlier, ratshooter snidely referred to "70yr old mismatched carbines with shot out bores".
Well, sure, mine is mismatched...because after fighting a world war, it was rebuilt to spec by a government arsenal, which also thoughtfully put on a new Underwood barrel. Got it all nice and ready for the next war.

These carbines were built by people who knew their husband, son, brother might be issued one and rely on it to save them, and bring them home safely.

They took this responsibility seriously...not like the purveyor of this commercial cast carbine.
 
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No, Inland's fit and finish is superior to the A/O and it has the later barrel band the A/O does not. (It has been said that the barrel band with the bayonet mount better stabilizes the Carbine's barrel).

The "Parkerizing" on the Inland is of the military type and less prone to corrosion than A/O's blued steel. From the reviews I have read and the individuals with whom I have spoken, the Inland is visually a more faithful reproduction of the "war baby". Ron is making a product that is comparatively affordable (thanks to the skyrocketing prices for the USGI products). The A/O is a "civilian" version of the Carbine. As such, it has less "military" appeal but still functions well as a sporting model.
 
If you were to build the .30 Carbine to the "original specifications"...

they would cost approximately $4000.00 retail for each rifle. (Get ready to "melt your plastic"). The cost to forge and tool up to produce such fine works produced for "The Greatest Generation" would be incredible! Since the pool of available USGI Carbines has almost completely "dried up" prices will continue to rise further into the stratosphere. :mad: :(

You can thank Barrack Hussein Obama for stopping the "repatriation" of many M1 Carbines and other fine American made military ordnance from the Far East. :eek::mad:

No more inexpensive military rifles for you, America! (You made them, but you can't have them). :mad:

You've heard the expression "they don't build them like that anymore" haven't you? Well, they could but it wouldn't be cost-effective. What "average" shooter is going to lay out $4000.00 for a Carbine that once cost $400.00 -$500.00? I don't think they would sell.

They're not building a line of "Model T" Ford automobiles for the same reason.
 
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amd6547:

Ron had received his bolts from a source within the US. There was every reason to believe that they were properly hardened. The stock finish was reconstituted for the Carbine from the original Inland "formula" used in WW2.

Pencils have erasers, and Ron at Inland addressed the "soft bolt" problem much like Colt cured the "frame breaking" problem on their early Delta Elite 10mm pistols. You haven't heard of any more "frame breakage" problems from Colt, have you?

A single set of "soft bolts" doesn't mean that the entire rifle is bad. If that's the case, Winchester should have gone out of business when they produced that bad lot of 760 ball propellant during the 1960's that resulted in a lot of soldiers getting killed because the gas tubes on their M16 rifles clogged, resulting in jamming problems. By the same logic, none of the products produced by the two aforementioned companies should be trusted, should they?

You might want to rethink your logic.
 
If I am building a modern version of an iconic weapon like the carbine, I am not going to assume the bolts are hardened correctly, drop them in my product, and put them in the hands of consumers.
The carbine bolt and op slide camming surfaces need to be hardened correctly, and this has been known since 1942.

Winchester used the powder specified by the Government, and the blame for the well known result is on them. Colt reached too far adapting a new cartridge to a platform never meant to accommodate it. They paid the price when 10mm shooters quickly switched to S&W 1006's and glock 20's. Neither is the same as ignoring proper testing procedure and assuring that the expensive clone is safe to be shot.

If it would cost $4000 to build a carbine correctly, then the current prices of GI carbines are a real bargain...and obviously, a clone product that costs so much less has cut some corners.
 
As I said, there aren't enough USGI carbines to go around at reasonable costs. The best "quasi rebuild" (Fulton Armory) requires a 12-14 week wait upon ordering. If you have the $1600.00 to have it hand "rebuilt" (with a new barrel) you're in fantastic shape. If you are willing to settle for a billet steel bolt and receiver, you can get by with a properly built James River Armory "Rock-Ola" Carbine for $1300.00.

Not everyone can afford such rifles. If I can hold tight until I have enough money, I might buy a example of James River's craftsmanship. The Inland Manufacturing Carbine is about as "low on the Totem" as I really want to go. This time next year will have to do.

It is the wait that's killing me.

By the way, Colt is still selling the Delta Elite and the pistol is selling very well. (But Colt's Manufacturing should be out of business... right)? :rolleyes:

I have two 1911-patten 10mm Auto pistols that are perking right along (One of the original DW Razorbacks (1 of 150) custom built for me). I have been shooting it for 16 years and it show no signs of problems. (The 1911 pattern pistol wasn't meant for the 10mm Auto Cartridge, was it)? :rolleyes: :p

It is the "Energizer bunny" that keeps going, and going, and going...
 
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amd6547:

You are expecting miracles for pennies. It isn't going to happen. If you want to play gunsmith, go to Gunbroker.com and buy a receiver; call a barrel maker and purchase a barrel then put the entire rifle together piecemeal. Enjoy yourself and do as you wish. If you have the skills, go with God. I wish you the best. (I really do).

Until then, the rest of us have limited options. I am not a gunsmith, nor do I play one on television. I make no pretense that I am perfect, or know how to "build a perfect Carbine".

You appear to take great delight in mocking those of us that aren't "building our own" or can't afford to have it done. I don't live in "fantasy land" and am required to live within limited means. You must feel truly proud of yourself. Not all of us are "flush with money".
 
I'm not building my own, but if I were, the proper hardening of the bolt would be high on my list of priorities. Not something I would just source and trust.
Flush with money? No. Just somebody who sold off an Uzi semiauto when CMP had carbines at a price I could afford.
I see GI carbines in good shape every month for less than $1000, carbines in good shape, built to GI spec. carbines that don't need rebuilt by Fulton armory.
I'm certain these are the last USGI self loading weapons that will ever be made available to the US citizen.
You have described your reasons for wanting a carbine. Self defense, hunting, etc. Get a GI carbine, and you will never regret it. You will also never lose money on it. When I walked out the door of North Store with my $475 Inland, I knew it was immediately worth $600...now, probably $800 or 900. I could sell the I-cut Rockola stock alone for a couple hundred.
If a cast part clone is good enough for your self defense needs, have at it.
 
If it would cost $4000 to build a carbine correctly, then the current prices of GI carbines are a real bargain...and obviously, a clone product that costs so much less has cut some corners.
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Wonder if any "corners have been cut" on the warranty? :eek:

Supposedly there's a warranty on these Carbine-clones. Fulton Armory has one.

Interestingly, the USGI models never needed one. ;)
 
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